Sources: Oilers set to deal Nurse, 31, to Sharks

The Edmonton Oilers are trading defenseman Darnell Nurse to the San Jose Sharks, sources told ESPN on Wednesday. Nurse, 31, is entering the fifth year of an eight-year contract that pays him $9.25 million annually. The veteran defenseman and the Oilers had been working together on finding him a new team after both sides agreed it was time for a change. Nurse had initially preferred going to the East Coast and told Edmonton his preference was to go to Boston, Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, sources said. However, when none of those trades materialized, Nurse expanded his list on Wednesday to include San Jose. The Sharks have been one of the busiest teams in free agency, signing forward Mason Marchment and defenseman Jacob Trouba to big deals ahead of the Nurse trade. San Jose is completely revamping its blue line, also acquiring Michael Kesselring and signing him to a new contract. Nurse played in all 82 games for the Oilers last season, scoring seven goals and 24 points while averaging 20:58 a night. Originally the No. 7 pick of the Oilers in 2013, Nurse has played in 798 games over 12 seasons for Edmonton. Nurse was part of the Oilers' leadership group and was an instrumental member of the teams that went to back-to-back Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and 2025.